Images of scenes are often useful for monitoring, inspection and/or maintenance purposes, in particular thermal, or infrared (IR) images and associated image layers.
Typically, an infrared imaging system, e.g. in the form of a thermography arrangement or an infrared IR camera, is provided to capture infrared (IR) image data values, representing infrared radiation emitted from an observed real world scene. The captured IR image can after capturing be displayed and analyzed on a display, either in a computer system, such as a thermography arrangement or an infrared IR camera, or in a computing device such as a tablet computer, a laptop or a desktop computer.
As infrared radiation is not visible to the human eye there are no natural relation between the captured infrared (IR) image data values of each pixel in an IR image and colors of a visual representation of the IR image displayed on a display. Therefore, an information visualization process referred to as false coloring or pseudo coloring is used to map captured infrared (IR) image data values of each pixel in an IR image to colors displayed on a display.
When the user analyzing a displayed IR image changes his focus between different areas of interest in the IR image, the mapping to representing colors typically have to be changed in order to visualize features in a particular area in an optimal way, e.g. to achieve sufficient contrast in that particular local area of the displayed IR image. As the mapping is changed for the entire image features visualized in other local areas of the IR image might be less clear after the mapping has changed.
A problem in conventional systems and methods is that a local area of interest in an image may not be analyzed and visualized in an optimal way while simultaneously analyzing the remaining image, in particular when analyzing IR images.
A further problem in conventional systems and methods is that the process of indicating a local area of interest in an image is cumbersome, in particular when performing image analysis in handheld units.
There is therefore a need for new methods for improving display or visualization of local areas of interest in a displayed image, in particular enhanced with regards to contrast of an IR image visualized using false coloring.